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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29121639">I Won't Let You Have the Power Once Again</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_the_blood_of_ordinary_men/pseuds/Fire_the_blood_of_ordinary_men'>Fire_the_blood_of_ordinary_men</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fill in the Holes You've Made [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Actually lots of hurt and implied comfort, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Because I kill him, Canon-Typical Violence, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, I will solve all problems in this story with violence, Implied/Referenced Abuse, It did solve this one, Mentioned Marshal Commander Bacara, Mentioned Pong Krell, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Murder doesn't solve all problems, Not Ki-Adi-Mundi friendly either, don't worry i kill him</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:21:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29121639</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fire_the_blood_of_ordinary_men/pseuds/Fire_the_blood_of_ordinary_men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Early in the Clone Wars (in a slightly different universe), Master Pong Krell is killed on a mission. The following is a recording of the council meeting in which the other Jedi present, Knight Farothiel, is questioned on his death (and on some other things he may or may not have done). This single event has a variety of consequences.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fill in the Holes You've Made [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136789</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Don't Be Afraid for a Moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So when I began this series, I figured that this would do two things for me. It would allow me to write short stories in between the longer ones of my other series and it would allow me to deal with more serious themes than my other series. That being said, I chose to write this because I thought is would be a short, funny way to start a series on the Clone Wars.<br/>Me starting this story: This is going to be very lighthearted and funny.<br/>Me, halfway through the story: (crying) Why did I do this to myself? What even happened?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Official Inquiry of the Jedi High Council Into the Death of Jedi Master Pong Krell </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master of the Council: Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Eeth Koth, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Adi Gallia, Even Piell, Oppo Rancisis, Depa Billaba, Chaashya Mereel</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Others Present: Jedi Knight Farothiel, Jedi Padawan Keilara Skobra, Commander Eyes of the 321st, Commander Sketch of the 284th</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Scribe: Jedi Padawan Coren Sereta</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pre-Meeting Briefing given by Jedi Master Mace Windu: Jedi Master Pong Krell and the 284th were sent to the Suolriep sector of the Outer Rim to prevent the recent Separatist invasion of Alaspin. Jedi Knight Farothiel, along with Jedi Padawan Keilara Skobra and the 321st were sent to aid Master Krell, after several weeks of heavy fatalities among the 284th. The secondary objective was to capture Separatist leader San Hill, who was at the capital of Alaspin. Knight Farothiel was also sent to secretly investigate recent allegations of misconduct against clone troopers that have been reported against Master Krell. The invasion was successfully repealed and San Hill captured, but Master Krell is now dead. As is protocol, the investigation of his death has been brought to the Jedi High Council, with all members of the council required to attend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Transcript of the Meeting Begins:</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Mace Windu: Knight Farothiel, please give your report on the death of Master Krell. Please go into great detail, your written mission report was quite lacking. For reference, Padawan Serenta, would you please read the summary of Krell’s death that was on the mission report.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Scribe; Jedi Padawan Coren Sereta: Also Krell died.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(A substantial silence came here.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi: And?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Sereta: That’s it in regards to Master Krell’s death.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Adi Gallia: Knight Farothiel, were you intending to submit a separate report about the death of Master Krell? If so, we should reconvene when that report is finished.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Knight Farothiel: Well, I was kind of hoping that you wouldn’t notice anything had happened and we wouldn’t have to have this conversation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Padawan Keilara Skobra: Master.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Alternatively, I was hoping to hide in the outer rim until all of this blows over. I have to be honest, it’s not completely out of the picture right now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Chaashya Mereel: Trust me, that never works.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Mereel, don’t encourage her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Plo Koon: Perhaps we should ask Knight Farothiel to give a summarization of what happened on Alaspin. Then ask Padawan Skobra or the Commanders if we have any questions.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Shaak Ti: I agree with Plo. Why don’t you start at the beginning, Farothiel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Thank you, Master Ti. As you all know, We were sent to Alaspin a few weeks after Master Krell and the 284th arrived. We were sent to assist the 284th with the repulsion of the Separatist attack and capture San Hill, because heavy fatalities had shown that one battalion alone was not enough despite Krell’s assurances. However; the council will attest that the plight of Alaspin was not the only reason that I was sent to the planet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Yoda: Attest to this point, the council can. Also sent to investigate recent reports of misconduct by Master Krell, you were.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Even Piell: Can we have on the record the origin of these reports?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Sereta: The official report was given by Knight Secura, after an unofficial report from her by Marshal Commander Bly. It was brought to the attention of the council by Master Mereel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Mereel, can you summarize the information of the report that you received from Knight Secura.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Aayla told me about the report that she made, because she was worried that because she wasn’t on the council it might be ignored. Also, why is there a Marshal Commander serving under her? She’s not even a master, let alone on the council, like the rest of us who have Marshal Commanders working under us. Did Tholme blackmail you into giving his grandpadawan extra power?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Depa Billaba: If Tholme blackmailed us, then you likely helped. In regards to your other concern, perhaps we should look into streamlining Knight Secura’s reports to the council, to make sure that things like this are caught. Padawan Sereta, put that on the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Thank you. So, Bly told Aayla some concerning things that he had heard on the Command chat. In summary, Bly was concerned that Krell was abusing his men. The council, upon hearing the report, decided that more evidence of this misconduct was needed in order to remove Krell from his post. We can’t exactly go around convicting people on only word of mouth, however valid the statements seem.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: With this conclusion, I was sent to Alaspin to investigate the veracity of these concerns, preferably backed up with recordings of some type, although the word of a Jedi Knight would be considered valid by the Senate in an emergency. If there was a risk to the lives of any of his men, I was authorized to arrest Krell and confine him in the holding cells of </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Angel</span>
  </em>
  <span>, using my cruiser to prevent any further threat to the 284th.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Commander Sketch of the 284th: General?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(Here Commander Eyes took a step back to stand next to Commander Sketch.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I arrived with my padawan and the 321st to Alaspin, meeting Krell and the 284th without any problems. Our objective was to take back the capital and remove the separatist leader San Hill, taking him into custody alive and transporting him back to Coruscant.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koon: What did Master Krell think of your arrival?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: He was quite displeased. As you recall, he was insistent that the 284th could take the capital on their own. It was only after I threatened to call Master Mereel and have her yell at him that he agreed to work with us at all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Yoda: Notice anything odd did you, when you first arrived?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: A few things, Master Yoda. The medical system in general was very poorly run. They lacked supplies in basically everything, which has never been on any of Krell’s reports. I was informed by Commander Sketch that the CMO of the 284th was killed near the beginning of the campaign, yet Krell had made no steps towards appointing a replacement. Several of the 284th also informed me that Krell never used their names, except when a visiting Jedi was there. Admiral Calipse Hagui, the highest ranking natural born officer in the 284th, assured me that this was true. She was quite helpful throughout the investigation and provided several pieces of evidence that were crucial. Should this reach the Senate, she was willing to verify these complaints, in the very likely case that the Senate refuses to believe the words of any of the men.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis: Padawan Sereta, put a consideration of a commendation for Admiral Calipse Hagui in the agenda for tomorrow.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Farothiel: Thank you, Master. From the rendezvous point, the 284th and the 321st began moving to the capital. While we were doing this, I was working with Calipse to work through the security recordings on </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Matrix </span>
  </em>
  <span>to see if there were any recordings of abuse. I was worried that if any of the men were involved that Krell would take his anger out on them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Well, were there?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(Knight Farothiel raised her eyebrows at Master Mereel, obviously a sign of some sort.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Perhaps it would be best if we asked Padawan Skobra, Commander Eyes, and Commander Sketch to sit outside for the next portion of the questioning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Seconded. Please wait outside for us to call you. Feel free to get some snacks and drinks while you’re waiting, it could be a while.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Skobra: But Master, what about</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Padawan. Listen to your grandmaster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Skobra: Sorry, Master Windu. I’ll wait.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(The others leave, with only Knight Farothiel staying in the room.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Sorry for that. It occurred to me just then that Commander Sketch has enough trauma to work through without me talking about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Kit Fisto: You found undeniable proof then. Was it all of his men then, or just</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Commander Sketch got the worst of it, but that was mainly because he spent the most time in close proximity to Krell. He engaged in physical and emotional abuse to all of his men, often tied to his mood at the time. I think that based on our knowledge of Krell, we can all agree that he is foul-tempered most of the time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Are there medical records of this abuse?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I found some in the former CMO’s office. They weren’t in the main system. I can send them to the council along with the recordings I found. I’ll do it now, actually.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(The Council members all turned to look at their datapads. They all sit reading the information for a long time.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: I think that we can all agree that there was serious physical and emotional abuse of the men by Krell. This also explains the unusually high death rates that the 284th has had throughout the war.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ti: This is horrific. How did we miss this?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Shaak, the war has only been going on for a few months. This is Krell’s second campaign and high fatalities could be attributed to bad luck if they’ve only happened once. We must focus on the fact that we caught this before it went any further. Imagine how many of the men could have died if we hadn’t gotten that report. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Don’t worry, it gets worse.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: I regret every moment I spent teaching you. I should have sent you to Dooku’s lineage with all the rest of the drama queens in the Jedi Order.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: I would like it on the record that of least I’m not dead like my brother-padawans. My lineage is also less of a mess than Qui-Gon’s, while Rael’s is only made of dead people. Padawan, back me up here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Sereta: My master is correct.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Congratulations on getting your life together, Mereel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Kit, I can kill you in so many ways right now, it isn’t even funny. I would get even away with it without breaking a sweat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Yoda: Get back to the subject, we should.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Of course. I noticed that Krell was trying to move away from me during the capture of the capital, which was not in the plan. I put Commander Eyes in charge of the 321st, while I followed Krell and the rest of the 284th. Krell appeared to know all of the Separatist codes, which I assumed was due to good intel. However, that belief was proved wrong when we reached San Hill. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ki-Adi-Mundi: You don’t mean to imply that Master Krell was working with the Separatists.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Oh, I am. It wasn’t so much an implication as a statement. I have several recordings that I got from the men of Mirror Company, including Commander Sketch, in which San Hill says, to Krell, “Ah, I thought that you wouldn’t come. We wouldn’t want that other jedi to interfere with my escape.” Then Krell said, “She is no match for me. Mercy has no place on the battlefield.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koon: That is solid evidence. What did you do then?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I walked out and told Krell he was under arrest. He, well, he resisted arrest. With his lightsabers. All of them. And some yelling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Gallia: What did he say?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Just the usual racist, anti-clone things that the Senate and the hate groups say. You know the drill. He threw in some stuff about the Jedi Order falling and the Separatists winning, which was also not very original.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Makes sense. Did you beat him?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Yes, and no? I was winning, but then he started using Commander Sketch as a hostage. The Commander was kind of in shock at that point. I think his men knew about the treason, but they didn’t think that anyone would listen to them. The same reason goes for them not reporting the abuse. Me trying to arrest him was extremely confusing to them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Eeth Koth: Then what happened? Obviously Krell is dead, while Commander Sketch is not, but how did you turn that around.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: You know how we can move stuff with our minds?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(The council looked confused here, while Yoda cackled.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: That’s not related to what happened, but I was talking with Obi-Wan before I came here and he seems to mention being unable to move rocks a lot for someone who can move them with their mind. This seems to be a common problem, actually. I figured we could all use a reminder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Padawan. What happened to Krell?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: When I started following Krell, I asked for Horizon company to keep eyes on me from a distance while Commander Eyes took control of the 321st. When Krell took Commander Sketch hostage, that was the signal that they were looking for. Eaves managed to shoot Krell so he dropped the Commander, which meant that I could continue the arrest. In the duel that ensued, well, I take full responsibility for the death of Jedi Master Pong Krell. My only defense is that no true Jedi would do such despicable things. I did my best to take him in, but doing so would have put the lives of the men at risk. That is no choice to take.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Piell: You did take San Hill into custody. He waits in prison now for trial.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Commander Stone informed me that he has been most cooperative. The information we have gotten from him will save many lives and get us closer to ending this war. A very good job indeed, Farothiel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Gallia: The footage from Mirror Company does show this point. I am of the opinion that we should take this loss as a cost of war, with no punishment for Knight Farothiel. She did what the council demanded of her, at great personal risk. Krell did terrible things to his men and he needed to face punishment for that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Any dissenters for the opinion of letting Knight Farothiel go without punishment?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ki-Adi-Mundi: Just a comment. We should be cautious in such matters in the future, although we can hope this does not come up again. It would not be good to put masters to death for such things as Krell died for. Prison, perhaps, but this will be a long war. We must be aware that the Republic must come first.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: What good is our Order if we endorse the abuse and inequality of the people that we are bound to protect? The Senate refuses to grant our men citizenship, so it is our responsibility, no, our duty to ensure that they are protected from such things as much as we can. Why would we win a war, only to lose ourselves in the process? It is our traditions that ask us to preserve peace and help people, the Republic will always be second to that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: I agree with Mereel. It is hard to know that on Coruscant, our men face descrimination and hate crimes. The sad fact is, it is not uncommon for my men to end up injured on a planet that should be the seat of democracy, simply because of intolerant people.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: I’ve lost good men to racist mobs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Any dissenters for the opinion of letting Knight Farothiel go without punishment?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(Another silence came here.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koon: Congratulations on your successful murder, Knight Farothiel. Mereel must be proud. I do hope that we don’t see you in here for this sort of thing again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Me too, Master Koon. Though, if you don’t mind me asking, what will happen to the 284th without Krell?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Billaba: They will be assigned a new Jedi, probably one of our new knights. We’ll do our best to support them, but there’s only so much we can do before the Senate catches on. Why?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I know it’s a lot to ask, especially when I barely avoided a murder conviction, but I was wondering if I could take command of the 284th. They already trust me and after Krell it will be hard for anybody else to gain their trust. I’ve also researched mental health more than most Jedi, so I could help with that as well.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koth: That is a lot to ask.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ti: I like it. The men need to know that somebody cared for them and Farothiel obviously does. After taking Krell’s abuse, they deserve stability. She can provide that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Rancisis: It would also be easy to sell the idea to the Senate. Having two battalions assigned to one general would expedite planetary invasions and relief missions. Improved communication and things like that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Any dissenters for the opinion of letting Knight Farothiel take control of the 284th?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(A silence here.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Well, now I want Farothiel to run my defense if I am ever on trial. She’s almost as good as getting away with murder as Mereel.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: No one will be as good as me until they can commit murder in this room in front of all of you and get away with it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Yoda: Kill me you did not, you just almost killed me.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Sereta: Master?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: I had my reasons. They were obviously good ones, because I’m here and not in jail.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Billaba: It was an okay reason. Honestly, I was just impressed that you managed to pull his arm off with your teeth. I thought Tholme was joking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I thought it was a good reason. Ask me later, Coren, I’ll tell you that story. Now, if we’re done here, I have a battalion to officially meet and arrangements to make.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: May the force be with you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: And with you, Masters.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Conclusion of meeting given by Jedi Master Kit Fisto: Former Master Krell was retroactively stripped of his rank, for multiple accounts of abuse against his men. Knight Farothiel was given command of the 284th and sent to assist Jedi Master Feemor Aadedai and the 112th. Multiple matters were put forth to the meeting tomorrow. Such matters will be treated with great caution in the future, to prevent unnecessary harm for any party. San Hill remains in the custody of Master Mereel and the Coruscant Guard, who continue to get valuable information from the Separatist leader. Here is where a comment about what a shame Krell’s death was would usually go, but I feel that his death was no shame.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. But I Pulled You and I Called You Here</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Look at the warnings, people, because there is more mention about abuse. Ki-Adi-Mundi fans look away, because this is not friendly to him. Except, don't look away from the warnings because I just said you need to read those. The same OCs as last time, because they will all be recurring characters in this series, so better get to know them.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The Official Inquiry of the Jedi High Council Into the Death of Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Masters of the Council: Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Yoda, Eeth Koth, Shaak Ti, Kit Fisto, Adi Gallia, Even Piell, Oppo Rancisis, Depa Billaba, Chaashya Mereel</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Others Present: Jedi Knight Farothiel</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Scribe: Jedi Padawan Coren Sereta</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pre-Meeting Briefing given by Jedi Master Adi Gallia: Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and the 21st Nova Corps have been fighting on the planet Mustafar in the Atravis sector, in an attempt to reclaim the planet from hold of the Separatists. This was a crucial planet for several reasons, including the traditional connection to the Sith, the multitude of natural resources on the planet, and the connection to the Techno Union, leading to the presence of Wat Tambor on the planet. Jedi Knight Farothiel, after a successful campaign with Jedi Master Feemor Aadedai, was sent to aid him with the 321st and the 284th. After retaking Mustafar and capturing Wat Tambor, Knight Farothiel has returned to Coruscant with the 321st, 284th, and the 21st, but Master Mundi has been reported dead. As is protocol, an investigation into his death has been started by the Jedi High Council.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Mace Windu: Padawan. One would have thought it wise to avoid the attention of the council after getting pardoned for murder. Instead we sit here today discussing the death of another Jedi Master while on a mission with you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Knight Farothiel: I would say that I am sorry, Master, but I truly am not. I regret nothing that I did on either Alaspin or Mustafar and I will not waver on the belief that I did the right thing in both circumstances.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Plo Koon: Perhaps it would be best if you told us what happened on Mustafar, so we could decide for ourselves.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Kit Fisto: You seem to have lost your padawan, Farothiel, and both of your commanders. Shouldn’t they be here to verify your story and give their opinions on what happened?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Well, last time they had to leave half-way through the meeting anyway to avoid bringing up unnecessary trauma. I already feel bad enough that Keilara has to go to war at an age when padawans should only be worried about force manipulation and astrophysics test scores, there is no need for us to bring up this in such detail around a pre-teen. It would also be harmful to Commander Sketch’s healing process, let alone Marshal Commander Bacara’s.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Shaak Ti: This is exactly like last time, isn’t it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Even Piell: But Ki was a member of the council.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Chaashya Mereel: We should know better than most that even respected Jedi Masters can have serious flaws. In any case, Padawan Skobra is required to give a separate and confidential report on the campaign, under code 19.2 of the Padawan Protection Legislation of 968.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Why am I not surprised that you have that memorized?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Eeth Koth: Because she created the Padawan Protection Legislation and the Mental Health Reform Legislation in a fit of spite against Qui-Gon.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: I saw a problem and I fixed it, the fact that my brother-Padawan was involved was completely incidental. Now, can we move on? I want to help Commander Fox interrogate Tambor. Intimidating Separatist leaders is the only fun I get anymore, especially since I can’t threaten senators.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Where are we supposed to have fun, if not by irritating you?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Adi Gallia: I think we can all agree that the Mereel reforms were a much needed series of changes to the order, but it is neither the time nor the place to discuss her motivations in making them. Would you mind telling us what happened on Mustafar, Knight Farothiel?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Of course. When we arrived at our rendezvous with </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Prosecution</span>
  </em>
  <span> I felt, well, uneasy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Yoda: Uneasy, you say?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Have you ever been to Mustafar, Masters?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: I know Tholme was there once, but he and Quinlan are the only ones who have been there in a while. He said it was disconcerting. There is a very long history of the dark side on Mustafar and that sort of thing lingers for a long time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Indeed, I felt that. I have been to several ruins of the Sith and other dark siders, yet nowhere else have I felt that sort of darkness. It was pushing and pulling, dragging anyone near it into a dark abyss that was just under the surface. I can’t imagine how Mundi felt, dealing with that for months. There is no balance to be found on Mustafar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(She stood there silent for several moments.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: The worst of it was, the darkness was tied to my prescience. It whispered to me all the while. If ever I return to Mustafar, it will be in the darkest of days and bring great misery to me. If ever I return to Mustafar, there is no hope for the Jedi and no hope for myself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: The times that are to come will be trying for all of us. Take courage, my former Padawan, there still remains hope.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Thank you. At first, I thought that what I was seeing was only due to the darkness on Mustafar, a hallucination to test me and trick me. What better to distract a young Jedi Knight with than a cause that she has already risked everything for? After all, Master Mundi was a member of the council.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: You know better than that. You spent fifteen years fighting against the council for their negligence in punishing Qui-Gon for his actions towards his padawans. After all those years serving as the scribe for the High Council, did you really believe that?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: It is because of my feud with the departed Master Jinn that I decided to take action. Do you think that anyone else would have dared to condemn a Master? Even Krell would have been ignored by most. I refuse to let these problems be ignored, not again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Oppo Rancisis: What did Master Mundi do that was worth death?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I did not intend to kill him!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(She took a deep breath, releasing her emotions into the force.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: We rendezvoused with Master Mundi and the 21st Nova Corps immediately upon arrival to the Mustafar system. I noticed that his men seemed, it’s hard to describe it, but sort of odd.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Odd? How so?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: They seemed very distant. Whenever I work with another battalion, even other front-line units, there is always this delighted mingling between the men. It’s a joy that happens from seeing someone new, even if you know no one in the other battalion. However, when we arrived at Mustafar, I noticed none of that joy in the 21st. If anything, they felt dread for our arrival.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Dread? What were they so scared of?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I wondered that too. I asked Master Mundi about it, in private, and he said that it was due to apprehension about the continued fighting around the planet and the thought of fighting on the planet’s surface. It seemed like a legitimate reason, but I still felt uneasy about something. The force gave me no guidance on the matter, because of the distortion from Mustafar.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jedi Master Depa Billaba: What did you do next?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Without evidence, or any idea of what was going on, I decided to continue business as usual. However, there continued to be strange things within the 21st. Whenever I walked into a room, or through a hallway, or anywhere, they were always watching me with a guarded caution. The CMO, Senior Lieutenant Minder, didn’t leave my side for an instant when I visited the medical bay and was quite insistent on the continued use of the injured individuals. No one seemed to believe that I was there out of concern for the men.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koon: That is extremely concerning. It’s concerning enough that they were raised to believe that their only worth comes from their ability to fight, but to hear it from men who are serving under a Jedi Master is horrifying. Mundi should have been reassuring their fears, not ignoring them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koth: Did you confront him about what you had seen?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: That seemed unwise. If there was a problem, to reveal my hand too early would expose the men to even more abuse. I called Mione to ask her to look into the recordings of </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Prosecution</span>
  </em>
  <span> while we were all focused on taking the planet, but she said it would take a while to access the records and analyze the results.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: A reasonable course of action. Do you have the recordings now?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: She contacted me yesterday to say they’ll be ready sometime today. I can send you anything that she sends me.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Gallia: That would be best. The recordings will be a sure and confidential way to prove that any abuse was longstanding, not related to the dark side influence on Mustafar, and enable us to prove it without having to question any of the 21st about it. Padawan Sereta, please keep an eye out for any messages from Knight Mione Berik.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Scribe; Jedi Padawan Coren Sereta: Of course, Master.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Not long after I contracted Mione, our forces were finally able to move from the aerial to a land assault. Of course, being that it was Mustafar, it was more of a lava than a land assault. The closest there were to land were the floating platforms and weird rocks in the lava. I jumped over more lava pits during the campaign than I have ever wanted to during my entire life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Fair enough, though I should point out that everyone should have the chance to jump over a pit of lava once in their lives.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Piell: Most species would die being that close to lava, including a human like yourself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: You never know. I’m not completely human and Mandalorian genetics are weird. I thought you had all learned that by now, since my nephew committed a massive ethical violation and decided to allow himself to be cloned for an army for the Republic.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ti: That’s actually a decent point. Still, most species would die being that close, unprotected, to pits of lava. The only reason that Farothiel, Keilara, and Ki could do it was because they’re Jedi. Do you really think that everyone should do it?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Only my enemies.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Sometimes I look at you and cry, because I realize that you are the most reasonable of your sibling-Padawans. Then I think of the Count and cry more.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: Is you crying about Dooku related to me and how he actually trained me to be a legitimate Jedi before becoming a Sith? Or is it just in general?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Your lineage has greatly helped my Vaapad technique. Otherwise I try to ignore your disaster and hope it resolves on its own. Legally I don’t have to interfere until lives are in danger.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: A wise, if short-sighted technique. I suppose if I followed it, then there would be two more Jedi Masters still in the world. However, there is much pain that can occur without the risk of death and I will not allow that for anything. It is not in my nature to look away, even if it is unpleasant for me.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Perhaps you are wiser than I, my dear former Padawan. Only time will tell. Continue with your tale.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Right. It was clear, for previously discussed reasons, that the environment was much more difficult on the men. The heat and lava pits made our progress much slower than we had previously anticipated. It was obviously frustrating to Mundi, although that could be excused by his desire to finish a long, hard campaign on a horrible planet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Billaba: I doubt that the dark influence of Mustafar was helping his temper. Such things are able to change even the most even-tempered and kind people. Are you completely sure that, whatever it was that you saw, was not due to the planet?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I can not.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koon: The surveillance cameras will prove it, either way. The truth will be found by the end of the day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I can not be sure that what I saw was not due to that cursed planet, but I do know that what I did was right. He did abuse his men, before arriving at Mustafar. That I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Let the Council come to their own decision. What you are saying right now is concerning, but not definitive.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: So be it, I will say what I can. When we had almost reached Wat Tambor’s stronghold, our forces were ambushed by several battalions of droids. It was not enough to defeat us or deter our approach, but there was heavy fire and many were injured. Thankfully, there were relatively few fatalities.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ti: That is a relief. I would like to point out to the Council that the fatalities on the Mustafar campaign were much lower for the Nova Corps than for any previous campaign.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Rancisis: The lower fatalities could have also come from the increased forces that came with Knight Farothiel, not the absence of Ki. Or it could have been because he was not there. All evidence is still conditional.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I can not deny that, but on with my tale. Most of the injured were of the 21st, so I told Senior Lieutenant Minder that we would halt our retreat until everyone was stable and either sent back to one of the ships or able to continue with the assault. It would have no discernible effect on the war effort, so the Senate would ignore it, and to leave anyone behind on that planet would be a death sentence. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Piell: Because of the lava pits.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: And the heavy Separatist presence and occasional lava crocodiles. Among other things.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Were the lava crocodiles made of lava or did they merely live in lava?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: They live in lava and have skin that secretes acid. What did you even do in xenobiology class?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: Not learn about Mustafarian lava crocodiles?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: What are they even teaching children anymore? What were you going to do if you ever went to Mustafar?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(Here Master Fisto gave an incredulous look at Master Mereel.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Gallia: Let’s move away from the lava crocodiles. Knight Farothiel, you told the CMO of the Nova Corps that you were ordering a halt on the invasion to allow for tending to the injured. What happened next?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Minder seemed surprised by what I told him and asked if I could confirm with Mundi. It seemed like a fair enough request to me, even if a halt was the only reasonable choice, so I went to confer with Mundi. When I found him he was talking to Marshal Commander Bacara, who was badly injured.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koon: How badly injured?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: He had been right next to one of the more explosive explosions. The official medical report said, converted into non-medical terms: a collapsed lung, a minor concussion, penetration of rubble into his abdomen, and several second degree burns. The general consensus of the medical professionals was that they didn’t know how he was able to stand afterwards.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koth: Explosions are rough. What was Mundi talking to him about?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: They were talking about how to continue advancing the attack. I told Mundi that we needed to call a halt to allow the medics to work and the troops to recover somewhat, but he refused my request.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Billaba: What reasoning did he give for this decision?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: He said that it would cause unnecessary delays, which it technically would, but it would save the lives of many of the men and only put us behind schedule by a day. I told him that no victory would be worth that sacrifice, but he told me that victory took sacrifice. You do not have the right to make that choice for anyone else, I told him, no one does. He called for the troops to move forward. I called a halt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: His orders should have overpowered yours, being that he was a Master of the Council. Why did you defy him?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: There is more to life than ranks. In the event of a severe moral violation, I would be obligated to argue against Master Mundi in any way possible. I merely fulfilled my duty. Should I have remained silent and let men die? The Senate and the public may feel like that is the duty of our men, but that does not mean that I have to let that be. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Yoda: True, that is. Happened next, what did?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I had a similar conversation with him as we just had, except for the part where you agreed with me. Instead he told me that the men were merely tools for the Republic and good for nothing but fighting. A loss of a few would be no loss at all. To die for freedom is the only use that they have. I told him that he was wrong. They are people as much as anyone else and I will fight for their right to live their own lives. My duty is not to the Republic, but to the people that live in it and it does not matter whether or not they are citizens of the Republic. That is the duty of both of us and of all Jedi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ti: Well put. What did he do then?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: He said that I was bluffing, that I wouldn’t actually help the men against his will. To help prove his point he then drew his lightsaber and attempted to stab Marshal Commander Bacara, I suppose because he was nearby and badly injured. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Rancisis: Attempted to stab?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Did you expect me not to stop him? He was going to kill someone right in front of me. I deflected his blow. Mundi seemed kind of surprised, though, but he continued his attack.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Piell: Ah, I think I understand now. In order to prevent him from hurting any of the men or yourself, you fought him. You are an incredible duelist and beyond comparison to your peers, but Ki was very good as well and has more experience on the field. Arrest was preferable but impossible against a man such as he.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: I would not have killed him if I did not have to. I have never liked him, but that does not mean that I wanted him dead.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Gallia: That can all be verified by recordings. I assume that the rest of the invasion went fine, because you captured Wat Tambor and didn’t report any more problems.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Indeed. There wasn’t much left to do, in any case. I didn’t notice anything new on the way back from Mustafar except for more of the same fear around me and the other natural born officers. It was disturbing, but nothing I have said is damning for Mundi in itself. In the unlikely case that you declare me innocent, I would also like to announce my intention to take command of the Nova Corps.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Yoda: Strange request, that is.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Ti: I support it. Knight Farothiel has done great work in helping the men of the 284th after Krell. If she does not get expelled from the Order for this, then I am sure that the 21st would benefit from working with someone that they know will fight for them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: Any complaints against giving command of the 21st to Knight Farothiel if she is found innocent?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(A silence occurred here.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Koth: For my part and based on her testimony, I think that her actions were just.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Rancisis: I think that we can all agree that if the footage that Knight Berik shows that the abuse began before Mustafar, then Knight Farothiel is innocent.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Piell: But if there is not such evidence, then she is not. His actions would then be due to the dark influence of Mustafar and the Order would be missing two incredible Jedi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Sereta: The message from Knight Berik was delivered during the testimony.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Billaba: What does it say?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Padawan Sereta: She included the footage that she collected, so I sent it to all of you, but the summary of her message is that her findings back up the observations of Knight Farothiel. Her exact words are ‘If this is advocated by the Council, then I have better things to do with my life then listen to them’.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Windu: I think that would be true for all of us. Knight Farothiel, we acquit you of the death of the former Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and transfer control of the 21st over to you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Knight Farothiel: Thank you, Masters. I should find my Padawan and my increasing number of Commanders. May the force be with you all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: And with you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Fisto: I’m serious, Mereel, this is more impressive than anything you have gotten away with. Farothiel will be my defense lawyer if I ever get accused of a crime.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Master Mereel: That’s because I don’t get caught. What do you expect me to do, kill the Chancellor in front of you?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Conclusion of the meeting given by Jedi Master Chaashya Mereel: Former Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi was retroactively stripped of his rank and dishonorably dispelled from the Jedi High Council, for multiple accounts of abuse against his men. It’s nice to know that we fulfill justice eventually, even if it’s only after the aggressor dies. Knight Farothiel was given one month of medical leave because Mustafar was awful for everyone, including her. Tomorrow a meeting will be held so that we can catch these things earlier, like we should have after Krell. Tambor is still with us in the Coruscant Guard and is giving lots of valuable information, without even that much “encouragement”. Which is good, because even I have morals about torture. Normally I would say something about how sad Mundi’s death was, but I am honestly kind of relieved. I don’t hate him as much as I hated Qui-Gon after everything, but he deserved to die for hurting my ad’ike. He is now on the list of people I need to punch when I finally die. There are a lot of people on that list.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Love Will Not Break Your Heart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I thought really hard about whether or not I wanted to include romance in this series, but then I thought of a really good scene to write later. That's the decision process that goes on in my head. Also worth noting is that the Jedi Order in my series does not outlaw love of any kind, but rather the kind of attachment that makes a person unable to do their job.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Microphone #404560</p>
<p>Timestamp: 217978</p>
<p>Authorization: Level 6-6</p>
<p> </p>
<p>TRANSCRIPT BEGINS</p>
<p>-Opening of the door to the office. Footsteps of two people enter into the room-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>High General Mace Windu: Mereel, I swear to whatever you hold to be sacred, you are corrupting my former Padawan. You are the only other Jedi who holds murder in such light esteem.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>High General Chaashya Mereel: And you talk about my willingness to commit murder while stepping into a closed room with me. Obviously you never learned caution from T’ra Saa, so maybe you shouldn’t complain so much about other people influencing your Padawans. They have to become smarter than you somehow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Of least my master isn’t a Sith Apprentice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Don’t use hurtful words, Mace. It’s bad enough that I have to spend this blasted war wasting my time on Coruscant surrounded by hypocritical senators who refuse to see the slave army that they are protecting their corrupt politics with. I don’t need a reminder that I am in charge of the Guard because it was my Master who fell and everyone is worried that I will join him if I go to the front.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: You are here because the Count told us that the Republic was under the control of the Sith Master. If anyone can find out who it is, it would be you. Investigations are literally your job as a Shadow. Also, we need someone who has no problem screaming at senators in order to fight for the rights of the men. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Fair enough. I don’t have any news on either front, while we’re talking about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: It’s only been a few months. We honestly have no idea what we expect from you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Footsteps approach the microphone-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Is this a microphone? It doesn’t look like one of yours.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I guess I have that evidence of the Sith Master, but I can’t track it or anything. It’s too much work to take it out every couple days, so I just hooked it up so if I press this button it will send the recording of the past day to the entire Council and all of the major news outlets. Hopefully it’ll keep whoever they are from killing me outright.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: But they hear everything that goes on in your office.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: My goodness, they’re going to hear everything that their spies already tell them. Whatever will I do?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: See? This is exactly what I’m talking about. Your lineage and their drama queen tendencies have infected my Padawan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I’m sorry to tell you this, but she’s been with us a lot longer than she was a member of your lineage. Farothiel’s been on the periphery of our lineage since Feemor was apprenticed to Qui-Gon in the wake of Mala’s death. Surely you of all people know that. And, despite her young appearance, she is as old as you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Who could forget? Sometimes it seems like she’s always been there, a weirdly competent initiate for eternity. I suppose that you remember a time before she was there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Of course. I was young then, only recently made a Master. How long ago was that, forty years? More? Not much in the vast scheme of the universe, but simultaneously a lifetime ago. Imagine what you would have said even ten years ago if someone had told you that there would be a war.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Sometimes it seems like everything has changed since then.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Not everything. Just most things.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: That wasn’t really comforting.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: You want comfort? Go to the senators and their lies. What I say is reality. There will be no way to go back to the way things were, not even if the Order survives the war. Change is inevitable. Our old relationship to the Senate cannot remain as it was.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: I already have a proposal written, just waiting for the war to end. I assume you have a full civil rights bill for the men prepared.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Didn’t you just say that my ability to defend their rights was one of the reasons why I was on Coruscant?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-A woman’s voice sighed-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I think that anything we do will be too late. How many already have died? Mace, I have discovered that the Sith Master has been manipulating the Guard. My ad’ike disappear for hours at a time with no memory of what they have done, but with blood on their armor that they cannot explain and is not theirs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Can you find out who’s doing it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Do you think they would be alive if I knew who they are? I’ve tried following them, but I always lose them after a few minutes. It’s ridiculous! There have been spies and bounty hunters that I have tracked across the galaxy for decades, but my men are disappearing almost immediately and I can find no trace that they were ever there. This is what I have spent my life doing and I find myself unable to find them when it matters.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: If you can’t follow them, then no one could. The Sith Master is obviously doing something to hide them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: You’re right. I’m the one being ridiculous.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: I wouldn’t say that. A decade ago it would have been unthought of, but now it is a viable assumption. It takes time to get used to something like that. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Back on this again? You obsess too much about the changes that have come, even though they were slowly coming for countless years. After everything that has been happening, change was inevitable. Change is always inevitable. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Did this meeting have a point?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: You followed me back from the Counsel meeting like a lost puppy. Now that we’ve clarified that Farothiel is only partly the fault of my lineage, there really is no point. Do you want some vodka?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: No, thanks. I have to wake up early tomorrow, then we both have a Council meeting..</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Clinking of glass and the sound of pouring-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I have to wake up early too, but at least I can blame the senators on my hangover. It’s a fun tip I got from Thorn.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Mereel, I honestly can’t tell if you’re joking.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I find honesty to be more jolting to people. Makes them uncomfortable in ways that humor never will. This all reminds me though, can I have a favor?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Depends what it is.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Do you know how old I am?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Around seventy, I think. You certainly don’t look that old, but my mental math says that you have to be at least that old.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Good enough. I may not be hundreds of years old like Yoda, but I am not young anymore. Based on the average lifespan of my people, I honestly expected to be killed a few decades ago. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: That seems a little pessimistic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: We may not be at war, but us Mando'ade will always go out fighting. Usually literally. I can’t list one relative who has died of natural causes, though that works for my lineage as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: When you phrase it like that, your assumption seems reasonable. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: My assumptions are always reasonable. But look, there is a possibility that I will not live through this war.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: There is a possibility that none of this will live through this war. We all have accepted this reality. It doesn’t matter how old you are in war. Too many Padawans and new Knights have died in this pointless war for anyone to think that age affects anything. Droids have no mercy, not even on the young.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: For all we know this war will last decades. Time will eventually claim me, even on Coruscant. Or maybe I will be killed by the Sith Master and it will not be related to my age. Either way, I need you to promise me something.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: What is it?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: If I die, and you are not already dead, can you finish what I have started? Can you defend my ad’ike in the Guard, defeat the Sith Master, unite the remnants of Mandalore, and bring my lineage back together?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: That is a lot for one person to do. I have a responsibility to my own men, while I have no responsibility in the slightest to either Mandalore or your lineage. As for the Sith Master, am I really the best person to find them?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: You don’t personally have to do everything, I just to make sure that someone will get it done. I already have plans for most of them, all you would need to do would be to bring them to fruition.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Still.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I’ve been training my great-nephew to take up the role of Mand’alor and Boba should be capable after a few more years. Someone would just need to continue helping him, but you could contact one of the Haat Mando’ade. There are enough left that you can find someone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Then why don’t you do that now, so you have more time? Training the next Mand’alor is not really your job.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Perhaps it is not, but in a different world I could have been the Mand’alor instead of my younger brother. Who could know what would have happened if I had not joined the Jedi as a child? I did, though, and Jaster took that role. It is my responsibility to help my people and since I can do nothing else, I will raise Boba.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Mereel, you are not responsible for what happened to your people.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: The Jedi are. It was my own Master who led the Jedi during the Battle of Galidraan, so how can I claim to be blameless of that atrocity. I should have done something, then this horrible war would never have happened and my people would still be strong. That day was a byword of why not to militarize the Jedi for a few years, but the Senate never actually regretted what happened. How could they, when we are generals of a war a little more than a decade later?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: The Senate is blind. If I did not know that they would not appoint replacements that would treat the men like tools, not people, then I would leave the Republic this day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: One day the Senate will realize their mistake. That is not a threat, it is a prediction. The Mando’ade have not been the only people to be devastated by the poor decisions of the Republic and there will be a reckoning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Hopefully that day comes after the men have been given rights and we are able to leave the control of the Senate. That sounds like a revolt that I want to be involved in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I’m helping even if we’re not separated from the Senate, especially since I’m technically in charge of the military police. I checked and there are no rules preventing me from releasing myself from prison.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: It’s probably an unwritten rule, but I’d like to see the Chancellor's face when you manage to pull it off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: By the Manda, I hate that man. But that brings me to another request. I need you to protect my ad’ike in the Guard if something happens to me. They already have senators and Sith Lords to deal with and I will not leave them with those problems on their own.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Based on what you said, protecting your men would also involve fighting the Sith Master.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Exactly. It is crucial from both an ethical and a tactical perspective. Do not be a fool and send some inexperienced Knight to the Guard. It must be someone who is willing and able to do what must be done. The Sith Master must be killed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: I don’t know what can be done. There is no one else in the order who is skilled enough to find them, even Tholme has other specialties as a Shadow. Without you --</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: That isn’t as much a problem as it may seem. I said earlier that there was a chance that I would die of old age, but that would only be the case if there was no Sith Master left.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: What?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: You already know of my unique ability to see through twisting and turning fate and to know the other universes that result from the different choices that have been made. Some of the changes are very small, others create a vastly different world, some of them are changes for the best, others create a worse universe than the one we live in. They represent what could have been.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: I thought you tried not to make decisions based on what you saw in other worlds, because you could never be sure of what has changed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: That is true. However, there are some things that remain constant in all of the universes. One of them is this: Chancellor Palpatine and I will always fight to the death. The circumstances vary, the results vary, but that one thing is always a constant.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: So you think that he is the Sith Master.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I think nothing. There are many reasons for the two of us to fight and I admit that I would not be in the right for all of them. I suspect many things, but I can find proof for nothing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: You think that Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Master and you think that one day you will confront him and he will kill you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I think nothing about the identity of the Sith Master. There is no doubt that I will fight Palpatine, but there is no way to tell who will win. He could kill me, I could kill him, or we could kill each other. If I acted against him without clear evidence that he is the Sith Master, the Senate will execute me and there will be no one to fight for my ad’ike. I trust you with that, but only if there is no other way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: On the off chance that it isn’t him, that would also allow the real Sith Master to escape without punishment. You’re doing the right thing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I know I am. This isn’t a democracy, Windu, it’s just us all trying to do our best in a series of impossible circumstances. Speaking of impossible circumstances, there was one more thing I wanted you to do.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: I’m not helping your lineage. They are on their own if you die.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Don’t be so harsh. At least some of the problems in my lineage come from poor decisions by the Council. The fiasco with Xanatos comes to mind as an example.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Don’t blame me for that. I was only recently Knighted and no more involved with the Council than you were at that time, so what could I have done? I concede that I could have done a lot more to help Obi-Wan, but no one could do anything about most of the situation that was Qui-Gon at the time. You passed the Mereel reforms for a reason.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Fair enough. My lineage has been doing a lot better, excluding Master Dooku’s fall, since Qui-Gon’s death. At very least, no one has died a strange and tragic death recently. I need someone to make sure that nothing gets ruined if I die.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: That’s Feemor’s job, isn’t it? He would be the oldest if you died.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Exactly. The two of you are more or less married, anyway, so it’s pretty much your job too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-A man coughed, sounding slightly strangled-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Mereel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: It’s been three decades, isn’t it about time to propose?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Mereel.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Don’t be one of those crazy conservatives, who think that the only way to stay dedicated to the Force is to remain single and pristine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Please never refer to me and your nephew with the word pristine ever again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Unlike what Anakin seems to think, that hasn’t ever been the official rule for the Jedi Order.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: What does he think? He spends a lot of time alone with Senator Amidala.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: It’s so weird. He’s a rebel without a cause, but really bad at his rebellion. It’s a right of passage in the Guard to find the two of them in various stages of undress. Remind me to send you a copy of our document with all of his ridiculous excuses, because we’ve turned it into a drinking game.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: So they’re together?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Maybe? But why would he be pretending to be a crazy conservative, unless it was a kinky sex thing?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: It’s probably a kinky sex thing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Probably. But seriously . . . </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: My love life is no more your business than it is Master Saa’s. Both my Master and you could serve to learn something about personal space.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I was going to ask about my requests again. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Oh.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Not everything’s about you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Well, I can’t read your mind. Your transitions are not great.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Mace, will you do it for me? Will you find someone to protect my ad’ike in the Guard, fight the Sith Master, ensure that Mandalore is returned to its former glory, and help Feemor to keep our lineage from breaking again?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: After all you have lived through, do you really expect to be killed by some measly Sith Master? You have a knack for living through hell and coming back all the stronger for it. Do not discount your power just because in some alternate worlds Palpatine beats you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Mace. Please, promise me that you will complete what I have started. This is what I have devoted my life to and if no one continues it after my death then my life’s work was for nothing. This is the great reckoning of our age and we must rise above it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: We could argue about that point for a while, but I will concede this: if you die then I will do what you have asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-A woman sighed in relief-</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: I also hope that it is unnecessary, but the future is not something to be left to chance. All that we do in our lives is for nothing if we do not ensure a better world for those who are yet to come.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: But if the Chancellor is the Sith Master, wouldn’t he now know that you know? There’s still that microphone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: He can’t exactly kill me without reason, not any more than I could kill him, and he wouldn’t be willing to risk that unless I was going to challenge him directly. It’s a weird cold war in the Senate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: See, that’s why this is your job. You understand all these weird eccentricities. I would just stab him and be done with it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Eh, I’ll stab him eventually. It’ll feel better when I have evidence, as well. Your former Padawan understands it as well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: So, you admit that Farothiel learned it from you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Mereel: Did I ever deny that? Are you sure you don’t want any vodka?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>General Windu: Pour me a glass. The Council meeting tomorrow afternoon can’t get any worse with a hangover, when it’s already going to be awful.</p>
<p>TRANSCRIPT ENDS</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Marked for Immediate Review: Level 9 Urgency</p>
<p>Notes: </p>
<ul>
<li>Information about the recent incidents with Farothiel</li>
<li>High General Mereel knows the identity of your Lordship</li>
<li>She told High General Windu</li>
<li>Information that could be used against General Skywalker</li>
<li>Personal information that could be used against both High Generals present</li>
</ul>
<p> </p>
<p>No immediate need for action, but surveillance should be continued</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Report Authorized: CC-1010</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lots of OCs, but they will all become important characters in later stories, I promise.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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